Monday, March 22, 2010

"This Is What Change Looks Like" - Obama

Some things I'm happy to see in the Health Care Bill that passed in the House last night:

The eventual closing of the gap, known as the donut hole, in the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan benefit. (The Plan was signed into law by President Bush in 2003.) This was heartless.

No more lifetime limits on coverage.

No cutting off coverage for people who get sick.

Increased payments to providers from Medicaid.

Less discrimination for pre-existing conditions. I don't really understand this one, though. It looks like insurance companies can still refuse to cover someone, causing that someone to have to buy special coverage through a high-risk program. Murky.

I hope these changes become law.

Obama speaking after the vote:

"So this isn’t radical reform. But it is major reform. This legislation will not fix everything that ails our health care system. But it moves us decisively in the right direction. This is what change looks like."

It's not that care is refused. People can receive care if they pay for it.

But when a series of blood tests can cost $1000, a few days in a hospital several thousands, many just can't come up with it. So ... they buy insurance.

But insurance companies have to make profit (increasingly more each year to satisfy investors). How? One way - lower payments to providers. What do providers do? They increase their rates. Where does that leave people who don't have insurance? Unable to come up with the $ for basic care.